The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle safety systems and, in particular, to a method, system, and computer program product for determining and reporting tailgating incidents.
Tailgating is a problem for drivers, insurance companies, and society as a whole. Tailgate-related accidents are commonplace in today's hurried society and invariably result in substantial increases in insurance rates. Even a simple ‘fender bender’ can cost a vehicle owner (or the owner's insurer) hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for parts and labor. Tailgating typically involves one vehicle traveling behind a second vehicle at a range and speed that is considered to be potentially harmful in that the reaction time of the second vehicle may be jeopardized should an unforeseen event cause the first vehicle to stop or decelerate in a sudden manner. For the affected driver, identifying a tailgating vehicle while driving is difficult, especially when the affected driver must focus on mitigating the dangerous situation. Providing a means to identify the tailgater and record his/her actions would be advantageous to the affected driver. In this manner, if an accident results from the tailgating, evidence will exist to aid the insurance company, police officer, and other relevant parties, thereby protecting the affected driver in the event of litigation.
This issue is further aggravated when considering that not all tailgate-related incidents are accidental. Various deliberately inflicted tailgate-related damages have been reported in an attempt to defraud insurers. This may be due, in part, to state laws which provide that in a rear end collision, the second vehicle operator is, by default, responsible for the accident, the rationale being that vehicle operators who maintain a safe distance behind the vehicle in front should be able to successfully avoid collision in an emergency situation.
In one such scheme, a staged rear-end accident involves a driver deliberately slamming on the brakes in order to cause a rear-end collision. Oftentimes, this driver not only collects insurance funds for damage to the vehicle, but also for purported bodily injuries as well. In addition, some of these drivers will then go to a remote location and cause further damage to the vehicle in order to maximize returns on the insurance claims.
Another type of scam involves waving or signaling to an innocent driver, prompting or inviting him/her to enter into traffic under the belief that the driver will yield. Once the innocent driver enters the traffic, the scam driver rear-ends him/her. While pursuing an insurance claim, the scam driver denies any such invitation to enter the traffic was extended, thereby implying that the innocent driver carelessly merged into oncoming traffic.
Tailgating, whether conducted as part of a scam or not, is dangerous and can cause serious risk of damage to vehicles and personal injury. The risk of injury/damage increases when factors such as the size and speed of a vehicle are considered, as well as any hazardous road conditions. While law enforcement agencies have adopted strategies for preventing tailgating (e.g., surveillance and citation of moving violations), such strategies are not adequate considering the ratio of traffic to enforcement personnel.
What is needed, therefore, is a way to identify tailgate incidents and report these incidents to relevant entities.